Chapter 103

“The Eagle Company’s robot, Winged Deity!” the host shouted. “Among the thousands of robots competing, very few of them are capable of sustained flight. Elder Vremya’s Battlesuit might have overwhelming strength capable of tearing apart Metal Croc and overwhelming defense capable of blocking Explosive Suicide, but is Battlesuit equipped with anti-air capabilities!?”

Mr. Metal tore the mic away from the host and brought it close to his mouth. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, dragging out all three words. “It’s time for a stage change!” He pressed on his bracelet a few times, and a rumbling sound echoed throughout the stadium.

Battlesuit was unfazed as the stage collapsed underneath it, leaving dozens of pits filled with spikes and acid. Some parts of the stage rose up, mimicking some sheer cliffs commonly seen overlooking the sea. From outside the barrier, a ball with six wings flew onto the stage, landing on the highest point. “It’s Winged Deity!” the host shouted, but no one could hear his voice because Mr. Metal kept the mic.

A moment later, Mr. Metal shouted, “It’s Winged Deity, folks! Of all the robots capable of flight, we all know Winged Deity is the king! With an impressive lifetime record of two hundred thirty-seven wins and forty-three losses, Winged Deity was crowned the Dominator more than once! How will Battlesuit deal with this!?”

Winged Deity flapped its wings and shot into the air above Battlesuit. Multiple laser beams fired from its wings and body, raining down on Battlesuit. The lasers that missed their target and landed on the ground left melting scorch marks behind. As for the lasers that did hit Battlesuit, they didn’t seem to do any damage. “Give me that!” the host said, snatching the mic back from his boss. “After Winged Deity’s first barrage, Battlesuit is completely unharmed! However, it doesn’t look like Battlesuit has been equipped with any anti-air weaponry. What a huge oversight from Elder Vremya’s side! Hasn’t he ever watched Metal Warbots before? How can he-what’s this!? Battlesuit is making a move!”

Battlesuit leapt into the air, reaching Winged Deity in an instant. However, the six-winged ball flapped all of its wings at the same time, sending it a dozen meters away from its enemy while bombarding Battlesuit with lasers at the same time.

“You’ll have to do better than that, Battlesuit!” the host said. “What is Elder Vremya doing!? Does he have no experience with combat? How is Battlesuit going to-holy shit! I should really shut my mouth!”

Cheers rang out amongst the audience as flames were ejected from Battlesuit’s elbows and feet, propelling it towards the six-winged ball. Even though Winged Deity focused completely on escaping, not even shooting lasers from its wings, it couldn’t escape from Battlesuit! Grandpa Vremya’s golem was just too damn fast. Once Battlesuit’s hand landed on one of Winged Deity’ wings, the match was over! With a ferocious grunt, Battlesuit tossed Winged Deity down into a pit full of spikes. The winged robot struggled even then, trying to get back aboveground with a torn wing and scratched backside, but Battlesuit plummeted downwards and dropkicked the ball, sending it deep into the pit. The spikes Mr. Metal had employed were quite brutal, and they skewered Winged Deity, easily piercing through the robot’s outer casing. Sparks burst out of it, and Winged Deity’s controller cursed while storming out of his booth.

Battlesuit slowly rose out of the pit with fire spewing from just its feet. It hovered there and spread its arms out to the side as if it wanted to hug the ceiling. Its bloody formation veins pulsed, and laughter jolted out of its communication system. Its blood-red visor swept over the audience. “Where’s my next victim!?”

“It’s like a real goddamn battlesuit!” the host said. “Don’t tell me a nascent-soul cultivator is actually inside of that thing. Mr. Metal, you’re the boss; what’re your opinions?”

“Metal Warbots prides itself on partaking in senseless violence,” Mr. Metal said after taking the mic from the host. “However, there has to be some sense to the senseless violence! If there’s an actual person in there, if he gets hurt, won’t I get sued to bankruptcy and beyond!? Elder Vremya, can you prove your robot is actually a robot!?”

A camera zoomed in on Grandpa Vremya’s face, and he rolled his eyes. “As if I need to cheat,” he said and gestured towards Battlesuit. “Take a look for yourself.”

Battlesuit dug its hands into its chest and ripped. Its breastplate was torn apart, revealing its mostly empty chest cavity. There were over a dozen beating hearts inside of it, but there was no sign of any living human. With deranged laughter, Battlesuit grabbed its own head and pulled it off. A long tendril connected its helmet to its body snapped, but other than that, there wasn’t anything else. Battlesuit put the helmet back on, and the tendril reconnected while the gap in its chest cavity slowly mended itself.

“Incredible biotechnology!” Mr. Metal shouted. “We’ve had a few companies demonstrate their biotechnological robots, but none of them have ever been as strong as Battlesuit! You heard it from Mr. Metal first, folks; there’s going to be a sweeping change taking place in the universe, and future historians will pinpoint this exact moment as the turning point!”

With Mr. Metal’s comments, dozens of people in the audience whipped out their phones. A few people tapped on the shoulders of their secretaries and whispered in their ears. Although Metal Warbots target audience was hotblooded young men, people from the robotics industry regularly attended to scout prospective engineers. If a young man, unassociated with any company, could show off a robot with incredible capabilities, it’d only make sense for him to be hired right after the competition was over. Other than people from robotics companies, there was still another interested party: the military. A capable pilot could bring out the best in a robot, and nowadays, when most small skirmishes between the federation, coalition, and empire were done via drones and robots, a pilot was even more valuable than the fleet they’d eventually become capable of commanding.

“However!” Mr. Metal said. “Who cares about making history!? I don’t! Who else here wants to figure out Battlesuit’s limits!? The next match is going to be a battle royale between one hundred robots! As an added bonus, we’ll litter the field with tank-piercing sniper rifles, hull-piercing rocket-propelled grenades, and military-grade cut-through-anything vibration knives for those amateur enthusiasts who can’t afford big weaponry!”

“Eh? Boss! Those things are expensive!” the host said. “What if they get damaged in the process?”

Mr. Metal laughed. “What’s the point of having money if I can’t even use it to entertain myself? How dare you question my financial capabilities. I changed my mind! The next match is going to be a three-hundred-person battle royale! On top of that, the owner of the robot that takes down Battlesuit will be rewarded with five hundred credits!”

The host didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He was hired by Mr. Metal, but he was actually working for Mr. Metal’s father, and the host’s job was to make sure Mr. Metal didn’t do anything that could be classified as over the top. Did tossing around military-grade weapons count as being over the top? It definitely seemed over the top; however, there was no way Mr. Metal was going to listen to him, and judging by the roar of the audience, if the host tried to stop the competition, then the audience would be the first to kill him for ruining their entertainment! There was no way he’d underestimate what young, hotblooded men would do while under the influence of alcohol in the middle of a violent sporting match! The host snatched the mic from Mr. Metal. “Next round, a three-hundred-man battle royale! But first, a word from our sponsors as our staff sets up the battleground. Stay tuned!”